Long before Houston County became known for Robins Air Force Base, it was nationally—and even globally—recognized for its agriculture. By 1870, the county was home to some of the largest peach orchards in the world, and in 1889 the Georgia Department of Agriculture identified Houston County as the largest peach-growing county in the United States. The peach industry became so closely tied to this region that when Peach County was created from portions of Houston and Macon counties in 1924, the new county carried that agricultural legacy in its name.

Today, Warner Robins sits in the heart of Middle Georgia, a growing city shaped by its relationship with Robins Air Force Base, the surrounding communities of Houston County, and generations of families who have called this region home.

In 2026, Warner Robins is a city of more than 87,000 people—a regional center for defense, aerospace, commerce, government, and community life. Its streets stretch across a landscape where military installations, established neighborhoods, new development, historic corridors, and some of Georgia's fastest-growing communities meet.

But the Warner Robins visible today is only the latest chapter.

To understand how this place became the city we know, we have to follow its story back beyond the base, beyond Warner Robins, and beyond Wellston itself.

We begin where the city's story first takes root: a place once known as York.